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5.07.2011

UEFA punished Mourinho with five-game suspension

The Control and Disciplinary Committee of UEFA punished Mourinho yesterday with 50,000 euros and five-game suspension. The fifth is subject to an observation period of three years and will only be fulfilled if he comes to be punished.

UEFA believes that Real Madrid coach violated the principles of conduct reflected in Article 5 of the regulations in the first Champions League match against Barcelona and the subsequent press conference. Mourinho already completed one in the second leg of the semifinals at the Camp Nou and as the fifth is conditional, the punishment is reduced to three matches. That means he can not manage in the Champions League until November.

Jose Mourinho

UEFA also punished Pinto, goalkeeper of Barcelona, with three games, which means he can not be in the final of the Champions League against Manchester United at Wembley. Guardiola will be forced to take a substitute of Barcelona B, for this crucial match.

The other sanctioned was Pepe, who received a penalty of one-game suspension. This is an unusual punishment, since the regulation defines the punishment for the "violent game" (as was defined by the referee, Stark, Pepe's action on Alves for which he was send-off) is three-game suspension. It seems a Solomonic decision of the Control and Disciplinary Committee of UEFA. With the punishment of one match, wants to make amends to Pepe without appearing that is re-refereeing the match.

Real Madrid, which has also received a fine of 20,000 euros "for misconduct of its fans", has announced it will appeal the sanction to its coach in the Appeals Committee, which meets on May 16. Real Madrid thinks that the decision continues to suffer from the same defects that contained the initial disciplinary proceedings that made impossible the right to defend its coach, because the specific statements for which that file is opened and for which Mourinho has been sanctioned, were ignored. The press officer of Mourinho, Eladio Parames, also talked about the penalty: "Jose Mourinho does not speak, but he feels bad. He feels like any person who was assaulted in the home, and above, ends prisoner".